Is a 55 gallon tank good enough for a leopard gecko?? I had a mississippi map turtle but sold it after 3 years and now i have a 55 gallon tank sitting in my room and i like lizard so id like to get a leopard gecko and btw is lighting/heating necessary? My room is always hot even in winter. Thank you
Leopard Gecko
- Thread starter TinTin53
- Start date
Yes a 55 gallon is big enough for a leopard (or two)
Lighting is not necessary, heating is.
http://www.geckosetc.com/htm/care.htm
Lighting is not necessary, heating is.
http://www.geckosetc.com/htm/care.htm
Hot is not a temperature, it doesn't mean anything. Hot can be 50 in Canada and 120 in Arizona.
Reptiles also require a temperature gradient, not providing one will greatly shorten the life span of the animal or kill it. If you cannot provide a gradient between 82-94, reconsider getting one.
Reptiles also require a temperature gradient, not providing one will greatly shorten the life span of the animal or kill it. If you cannot provide a gradient between 82-94, reconsider getting one.
I will get everything needed before purchasing the gecko itself which is why im asking but by hot i meant 26 degrees celsius and I just wanted to make sure if its ok or not
I wouldn't recommend a 55 gallon. I'd say a 30 gallon at most for a small group of females.
Such a large terrarium makes it hard for them to find food, water or heat.
80-90F is perfect for them.
You could think with a large tank you could just have half the tank heated, but that's not very healthy, as I'm sure you know they're cold blooded and can't regulate their own heat by heating up or sweating. Too much heat and they'd overheat.
Lighting as in heat lamps is not necessary, they're nocturnal, and don't bask.
Lighting in general is better for them, giving them a natural day and night cycle gives them a healthy sleep schedule. Mine don't really go by a sleep schedule, they just sleep whenever and they're fine, even though they have a relatively normal light cycle around them.
I recommend a heat pad under their designated warm hide.
A tank that's always hot isn't too healthy either. They get hot and stressed when they can't move to a cooler side to cool down.
for their cooler temps, 75-80 is fine... wet towels on the lid help cool it down with the evaporation.
If you want a lizard that can deal with the heat and the large tank, go with a bearded dragon. Just as nice, just as cool, likes warm temps and basks all day. HOWEVER they themselves can be a bit expensive, along with lighting and food.
as for food I recommend breeding your own... Dubia roaches or superworms are good.
Dubia roaches can't fly, and can't breed without tropical environments.
They also don't smell like crickets and have more nutrition.
crickets smell really bad, and mealworm shells (unlike superworms) ar hard to digest for the dragons.
Also superworms bite, so be careful...
Such a large terrarium makes it hard for them to find food, water or heat.
80-90F is perfect for them.
You could think with a large tank you could just have half the tank heated, but that's not very healthy, as I'm sure you know they're cold blooded and can't regulate their own heat by heating up or sweating. Too much heat and they'd overheat.
Lighting as in heat lamps is not necessary, they're nocturnal, and don't bask.
Lighting in general is better for them, giving them a natural day and night cycle gives them a healthy sleep schedule. Mine don't really go by a sleep schedule, they just sleep whenever and they're fine, even though they have a relatively normal light cycle around them.
I recommend a heat pad under their designated warm hide.
A tank that's always hot isn't too healthy either. They get hot and stressed when they can't move to a cooler side to cool down.
for their cooler temps, 75-80 is fine... wet towels on the lid help cool it down with the evaporation.
If you want a lizard that can deal with the heat and the large tank, go with a bearded dragon. Just as nice, just as cool, likes warm temps and basks all day. HOWEVER they themselves can be a bit expensive, along with lighting and food.
as for food I recommend breeding your own... Dubia roaches or superworms are good.
Dubia roaches can't fly, and can't breed without tropical environments.
They also don't smell like crickets and have more nutrition.
crickets smell really bad, and mealworm shells (unlike superworms) ar hard to digest for the dragons.
Also superworms bite, so be careful...
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U can keep a adult leopard gecko with a collared lizard in there if u get a uvb lamp(feed leopard at night and collared during day)
no. even if they're in a large terrarium. for one that's way too big for a leo, it would have a hard time finding food/heat/water. If you want to hand feed the leo, go ahead. It's fun to watch and easy on them but it makes them lazy and never come out.
I used to hand feed my leo, and when I couldn't hand feed him and just threw crickets in, he couldn't eat cuz he'd basically forgotten how to hunt and expected the food to come to him. (he's only in a 20 gallon.)
back to collared lizards:
1. leos and collared lizards are (obviously) two different species.
2. they both come from different regions and require different husbandry.
3. collared lizards get much bigger than leos, and unless you have a supergiant leopard gecko, the leo might get eaten. (or at least their tail, which they need.)
4. leos are nocturnal and collared lizards are diurnal. I don't think either would like being disturbed while they sleep.
Collared lizards are agamas (like bearded dragons). I know for a fact that most agamas can/will basically eat anything smaller than them that moves. (even their own young.)
I don't see why a collared lizard wouldn't like a leo or its tail. (makes me sick thinking of a leo being fed to something now that I think about it.)
I recommend this combination because these species have a longstanding record of getting along together (these species have been known to get along for some time , and records of these species getting along goes back well over 45 years
